On 1 October, 17 WTA singles title holder Elina Mykhailivna Svitolina posted a video on her Instagram. This day is referred to as Defenders Day and it is quite a significant day in Ukraine’s calendar. It is a public holiday in Ukraine in honor of the veterans and fallen members of the Ukrainian armed forces. The whole of Ukraine is supposed to pause at 9:00 a.m. for a minute to pay tribute to their heroes. It was first celebrated in the year 2015. However, over the past couple of years, this day has had particular significance.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Svitolina and Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko have been asked to pick up the baton for the nation and be a voice to the world. Ever since then, they have been quite vocal about this and you can also find it out from their social media handles.

Elina Svitolina’s soul is still in Odessa

The 29-year-old Ukrainian tennis icon was born in Odessa. She then moved to Kharkiv, but eventually, she had to flee from the country and move to her residence in London. But her soul is still in Odessa. She hopes she’d return one day and see her grandmother, who is in her eighties, trapped in the port of Odessa. Earlier this year, she pledged to donate all her prize money to the Defenders of her Motherland and humanitarian causes.

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Svitolina runs a foundation named Elina Svitolina Foundation, to develop sports and tennis in Ukraine and support gifted tennis players. She later joined #TOGETHERBAND, to raise funds and awareness for Ukraine. Her recent video on Defenders Day was in collaboration with her Foundation and #TOGETHERBAND.

This is what Svitolina said in her latest post, “Today is Ukraine Defenders Day, a day to recognise and honour the courageous defenders who put their lives on the line to fight for the freedom and future of Ukraine 💙💛 Thank you to each and every serviceman and military hero who protects our country.” She further added, “Since the war broke out, ordinary Ukrainians have become heroes. As a nation, we have proven ourselves to be true warriors. Our struggles, unity, and courage are inspiring and an example to the world.“

“I’m  Ukrainian. I’m standing for my country doing anything possible to support men and women who are right now in the front line fighting for our land, our country”, this is what she had said earlier to show her love towards her motherland.

Like all Ukrainians, who’ve been affected by the war, Svitolina has also had to change her perspectives and even the way she behaved on the court.

How the war made Svitolina stronger than ever, both physically and mentally

From raising a child to competing in the Grand Slam amid the war, she has seen it all. Svitolina confirmed the title of being the staunchest supporter of her country in the tennis world. The fighting spirit in her is never like before and this is something which she also wants to instil in Skai. She is very firm on her ideals and we have witnessed this several times this year.

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She previously refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players at the French Open. This resulted in a raise of eyebrows for those who were present at the stadium. She was booed by some of them. But did it matter to her? She has been repeatedly asking the concerned authorities to ban all Russian and Belarusian tennis players from the international tournaments. Her call may be right to some and wrong to others. But surely, she’s rising like a phoenix with her on and off-the-field activities.

Her fans are eager to see her back winning silverware. But for her, the sole goal is to help her motherland during the country’s toughest time.

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